Shower and bathtub enclosures



April 25, 1961 TINFOW SHOWER AND BATHTUB ENCLOSURES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed April 30, 1959 INVENTOR. Z/O/VEL 77A/Fow BY ATTOQA/EY5 April 25,1961 TlNFow 2,980,969

SHOWER AND BATHTUB ENCLOSURES Filed April 30, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR. L /0/v.54 77/vFow BYG b C W ATTOPA/EYS United States PatentSHOWER AND BATHTUB ENCLOSURES Lionel Tinfow, 53 S. Ridgewood Road, SouthOrange, NJ.

Filed Apr. 30, 1959, Ser. No. 810,126

9 Claims. (Cl. 20-11) This invention relates to shower and bathtubenclosures and refers, more particularly, to shower and bathtubenclosures which are installed without the use of fasteners in the sidewalls.

Prior art shower and bathtub enclosures are provided with side-jambs forreceiving sliding or swinging doors, and these side-jambs are fastenedto a supporting side wall by screws or adhesive. Screws are extremelydifficult to anchor in the sidewalls, particularly where the side wallshave a tile outer surface. Also, anchoring the fasteniugs in thesideWall mars the wall surface causing unsightly holes and cracks, requiringextensive repair work. Not only are the walls damaged, but the holes andcracks may allow water to enter the wall causing water damage to thewalls and ceilings of rooms below. Cement has also been used in priorartto fasten a side jarnb to a side wall, but this is an unsatisfactorymethod because of the required labor involved, the unpleasant resultingappearance of the cemented structure, and the fact that the cement isoften insutficient to support a much used enclosure for an extendedperiod of time. Both the user of screws or cement prevents later removalof the enclosure because the walls have become permanently marred.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a shower andbathtub enclosure which does not have the disadvantage of the prior art.

Another object is the provision of an enclosure which may be rapidly andeasily installed on presently existing showers and bathtubs by unskilledlabor. 7

Another object is to provide 'a sliding door enclosure in. which thedoors will not jam the tracks or become disengaged from the tracksduring use.

Another object is to provide a low cost towel bar which can be attachedto the doors by unskilled'labor after the doors have been installed.

Yet another object is the provision of an enclosure which may beinstalled on showers and bathtubs without the necessity of attachingsupporting fasteners or other supporting materials to the sidewalls ofthe room, and which will notzrnar' or damage the side walls in anymanner.. i C

Another object is theprovision of an enclosure'held securely between theside walls of the room by meansofpressure exerted on these walls b'y theenclosure itself.

,StillIanotheriobiect iswthe provision of anlenclosure which will'notallowwater to leak out of the shower or the'bathtub 1 1 Stillbanother'object isithe provision of a le'akproof 'enclosure by the useof vinyl seals.

I further object i'sjthe .provision, of an inexpensive 1 easily'manufaeturedfshower or bathtub .enclosuresuitable for existing aswelLas futureshowers'famdbathtubs. u Other objects of the presentinvention will become apparent in the ,co urseQf the; followingspecification U [The objects of the present invention may bev realized 7throughthe pro'visionof pre-bint side-jarnbs,,ahdspecially's'haped'upper'andglower"horizontal members-joining Patented Apr. 25,1961 these side-jambs. The pre-bent side-jambs are so shaped that whenthey are placed vertically against the side walls only the middleportion of the side-jarnb is in contact with the sidewall. Upper andlower horizontal members are then wedged between the top portions andbottom portions, respectively, of the two side jambs, wherebycompressive forces in the horizontal members hold the sidejambssecurelyagainst the side walls. Then either sliding or swinging doorscan be secured by the side-jarnbs and horizontal members, and awater-tight enclosure results.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detaileddescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,showing, by way of example, preferred embodiments of the inventive idea.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view of a bathtub enclosure of the present inventionhaving sliding doors;

Figure 2 is an exploded front view of side-jarnbs, upper and lowertracks, and a wedge of the present invention prior to their installationin the enclosure;

Figure 3 shows the upper portion of two s'ide-jambs, and an upper trackpositioned so as to allow the insertion or removal of a sliding door inthe upper track;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 1 and showsthe upper and lower tracks, the sliding doors, and the rollers attachedto the sliding doors and supported by the upper track;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a front view of a hinged shower door enclosure of thepresent invention.

Figure 8 is an exploded front view of the side-jam'bs and. header andsaddle of the embodiment of Figure 7 prior to installation; V

t Figure 9 is a sectional view taken along line 99 of Figure 7;

t Figure 10 is a sectional view taken along line 1(i10 of Figure 7; I

Figure 11 is a sectional view taken along line 1111 of Figure 7;

Figure 12 is a sectional view taken along line 12-12 of Figure 7;

Figure 13 is a sectional view taken along line 13-13 of Figure 7;

Figure 14 is a sectional View taken along line 1414 of Figure 7.

A bathtub enclosure 10 of the present invention (Figure 1) comprisesside-jambs 11, lzdispos'ed against side walls 13, 14, respectively, alower track 1Sdisposed on the ledge 16of bathtub 17, a wedge 18 disposedbetween lower track 15 and side-jamb 11, an upper track 19 disposedbetween side-jambs 11, 12, and sliding doors 20 having a towel bar 21and handles 32. The upper and lower tracks 19, 15 constitutethehorizontal menu bers of the enclosure. v

The enclosure supporting structure, comprising the side-jambs' 11, 12,upper track-19, the lower track 15,

and wedge 18 are shown in Figure 2 prior-to beingene gaged withone-another to form the enclosure 10 of Figure l. I 1

The side-ja'rnbs 11, 12 are pre bent in long sweeping curvesor arcs and-are concave away" from the side-wall. against which they will beplaced. A crossrsectional; view-of the side-jamb 11 and itsrelationship'to the side wall 13 is shown in Figure 5. The side janrbs11, 12 are pre-bent as an aid in the compressionand tofacilita'teyavtight seal between the side-jambs and the-wall.

Mapp r track 19, of proper length, has "two differently v notched ends19a and 1% which not only enable the track 19 to beifitted between theupper portions 22,23

of side-jambs 11, 12, respectively, but which also enables the notchedend 19a to be raised in a substantially vertical manner withoutdisengaging end 1912 in order to engage or disengage the sliding doors2t) fromthe tracks 19, 15, Figures 1, 2 and 3. r

The lower track 15 has fiat protruding side portions 24, 25 (Figure 4),on which are placed the edges 26a, 27a (Figure 2) of the lower portions26, 27 of the side jambs 11, 12. Vinyl seals 30 fit under the side-jambs11, 12 (Figures 1 and 2). The wedge 13 is shaped to be forced betweenthe lower track 15 and side-jamb 11 (Figures 1 and 2). 7

When the side-jambs 11, 12 and lower and upper tracks 15, 19 are inplace the sliding doors 211 are supported by upper track 19, and areprevented from leaving track 19 by the lower track 15, as shown inFigure 4. In Figure 4 is shown the upper track 19 supporting rollers 23which are attached to doors 20, the lower track 15, and a bifurcateddoor portion 29a having fixed flaps 29 which are attached to the lowerend of each sliding door 20. Within the bifurcated door portion 29a isdisposed resilient, bent nylon strips 2%, and it is these strips 2%which come in contact with rails 38, whereby a smoothly sliding doorresults. The tendency of strips 2% to straighten out holds them inplace.

In my co-pending application, Serial No. 757,592, filed August 27, 1958,I disclose the manner of supporting enclosure sliding doors by means ofrollers supported by an upper track, when said upper track together witha lower track are disposed between side-jambs.

Vinyl seals 30 are attached to track 15 (Figure 4) and to the legs 31 ofthe jamb 11, as shown in Figure 5. The vinyl seals 30 act as a waterseal, preventing water from leaking out of the enclosure. Thiseliminates the necessity for the use of caulking compound to preventsuch leakage from the inside to the outside of the enclosure 10. Thevinyl seals 30 have spring action and also act as a cushion, whereby theside-jamb 11 does not come in direct contact with the side-wall 13.Therefore, scratching and marring of the sidewall 13 is prevented, andthis spring action further assists in maintaining pressure against theside walls 13, 14. The design of the vinyl seals 30 of the presentinvention enables them to be attached to the legs 31 of the side jambs11, 12, and to the lower track 15, in a very simple manner.

A handle 32 is attached to a door 20 by means of one screw 33. Thehandle 32 is designed in such a manner that a towel bar 21 may besubsequently attached thereto (Figures 1, The projection 34 of thehandle 32 fits into the hollowed out portion of the towel bar 21 and isthereto secured by one screw 35 (Fig. 6). A metal strip 35a preventswater from entering the towel bar by connecting the free edges 35b if aC-shaped towel bar is used (Figure 6). Use of the metal strip 35aproduces the affect of a hollow extruded section at a cost greatlyreduced from that of an actual hollow extrusion.

The manner of installation, operation and use of the enclosure of thepresent invention is as follows:

First, the lower track is placed on the ledge 16 of tub 17 (Figure 1).Then side-jambs :11, 12, which are made of resilient material and whichare pre-bent in long sweeping arcs, as shown in Figure 2, are placedagainstthe side-walls 13, 14 with the concave side away from theside-walls 13, 14 (Figure 3). In this position, side-jamb 11, forexample, has its middleportion 36 in contact with the side wall 13,whilethe upper portion 22 and lower portion 26 are not in contact withthe side wall 13 (Figures'l, 2 and 3). The lower portions 26, 27 are incontact with the protruding. portions .24,

(Figure 4) of the lower track 15. A wedge 18 (Fig- 4 in Wedge 18 andtrack 15, thus securing track 15 on the bathtub ledge 16 between theside-jambs 11, 12. Since the track 15 is being compressed by theside-jambs 11, 12, the track 15 exerts an equal and opposite force onthe side-jambs 11, 12, thus securely holding the sidejambs 11, 12against side walls 13, 14.

Next the upper track 19 is placed between the sidejambs 1 1, 12, asshown in Figure 3. The notched end 19a allows track 19 to be elevatedabove its normal horizontal position, so that the doors 20 when at theend 19a of the track 19 will completely clear the upright guides 38(Figure 4) in the lower track 15. Figure 3 illustrates the position oftrack 19 when it is desired to engage or disengage the doors 20 from theguides 38 of the lower track 15. The doors 20 are engaged with the uppertrack 19 at the high end 19a of the track 19 and then rolled down to thelow end 1% to engage the guides 38 of the lower track 15. After bothdoors 28 have been engaged with both the lower and upper tracks 15, 19,the upper track 19 is then pushed downward to its normal horizontalposition. In this position it is not possible for the doors 20 to becomedisengaged from the guides 38 of the lower track 15. Of course, thelength of both tracks 15 and 19 is determined by the distance betweenthe contact surfaces 39 and 40 (Figure 1) of side jambs 11, 12, when theside-jambs 11, 12 are flat against the side walls 13, 14.

The notch 1911 (Figures 2 and 3) facilitates the wedging of the uppertrack 19 between the side jambs 11, 12 and the diagonal portion 41 ofnotch 19a completes this wedging action as the track 19 is forced into ahorizontal position. When the track 19 is in the raised position, thevertical portion 42 of notch 19a is in contact with the contact surface40 of the side-jamb 12. As the track 19 is forced into thenormalhorizontal position the diagonal surface 41 rides along the edge of thecontact surface 41), gradually forcing both side-jambs 11, 12 backagainst their respective side walls 13, 14, until the vertical portion4-3 comes into contact with the surface 40. The upper track 19 is incompression and forces the sidejarnbs 11, 12 into pressure contact withthe side-walls 13, 14. The notched end 1917 facilitates the insertion ofthe upper track 19 between the two jambs 11, 12.

The vinyl seals 39 are, of course, placed on the sidejambs 11, 12 andlower tracks 19 before these parts are installed, and thereby the seals30 are in firm contact with the side walls 13, 14 and ledge 16,establishing watertight contacts.

After the doors 20 are in place the towel bar 21 may be connected asindicated above if desired.

To remove the sliding doors 20, the upper track 19 is moved upward andthe doors 20 are rolled to the higher end 19a until they clear theguides 38 in the lower tirack 15, and are then disengaged from. bothtracks A shower enclosure 50 of the present invention is shown in Figure7 and'comprises side-jambs 51, 51a, upper header 52, lower saddle 53,wedge 54 and a hinged door 55. Side walls 56 and sill 57 support theside-jambs 51, 51a, and saddle 53 in the same manner as explained abovein the case of the enclosure 10.

' Prior to'installation, the side-jambs 51 are pro-bent into longsweeping curves as previously explained (Figure 8). The installation ofthe members in Figure 8 is the same as for .the embodiment of Figure 1,except, of course, that'the door 55 issupported by hinges 58 rather thanby rollers. Also, as indicated in Figure 9, an L-shaped member 59 isattached to upper portion of side-jamb 51 by means of a screw 60. This"construction provides support for the header 52' (Figure 13). A

similar L-shaped member 61 (Figure 7) is provided at the lower end ofeach side-jamb 51 and 51a to serve as positioning guides for the saddle53. Vinyl seals 62 are used in the same "manner as explained-inregard tothe embodiment of, the enclosure 10 The door 55 may be swung in and outaboutt he ;on-

tinuous two-leafed hinge 58 which is attached to jamb 51a by screws 65,and to the door 55 by screws 66 (Figure A catch 63 is provided to securethe door 55 in the closed position to side-jamb 51 (Figure 11).

Any water passing from the inside of the shower room will become trappedin the depression 67 of the saddle 53 and will drain back into theshower room through weep holes 68, Figure 12.

After the side-jambs 51, 51a, header 52', wedge 54, and saddle 53 havebeen installed as described above, the door 55 is-attached by hinges 58to side-jamb 51a (Figure 10) and may thereafter be opened and shut asdesired.

The vinyl seals 62, together with the novel saddle design, shown inFigure 12, the extended arms 64, 64a (Figures 10 and 11) of theside-jambs 51, 51a, and the hinge 58' make the shower door enclosure 50leak-proof.

Among the advantages of the enclosures of the present invention are thefollowing:

The enclosures can be rapidly and easily installed by unskilled labor;the enclosure can be installed on bathtubs and showers without thenecessity of attaching supporting fasteners to the side-walls; theenclosure can be installed without using adhesive or cements to attachthe side-jambs to the side walls; the enclosure is watertight; the vinylseals make the use of caulking unnecessary; since no fasteners, cements,or caulking is used the side Walls will not be marred, cracked, ordamaged in any way; the handle and towel rack can be economicallyinstalled at any time; and the enclosure is inexpensive and easy tomanufacture and can be made to fit any bathtub or shower.

It is apparent that the described examples are capable of manyvariations and modifications within the scope of the present invention.All such variations and modifications are to be included within thescope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A supporting structure for an enclosure for a showering area havingside walls disposed opposite one. another, said supporting structurecomprising two sidejambs, each of said side-jambs being verticallydisposed in continuous contact with a different one of said sidewalls,and a plurality of elongated horizontal members having end portions,each of said side-jambs engaging one end portion of each of saidhorizontal members, at least one of said side-jambs resiliently tendingto 'form a simple longitudinal curveconcave away from said contactedside-wall, said horizontal members being in compression between saidside-jambs, whereby said sidejambs are securely held incontact with saidside Walls along substantially the entire length of the side jambs.

2, A supporting structure in accordance with claim 1, wherein each ofsaid side-jambs is resilientlytending to 2,326,856 Heaney Aug. 17, 19432,532,886 Blanchi Dec. 5, 1950 2,661,084- Stefian Dec. 1,1953 2,818,145Bragman Dec. 31, 1957 7 2,840,162 Moerdyk June 24, 1958 2,867,860Anderson Jan. 13, 1959 form a simple longitudinal curve concave awayfrom its repective contacted side wall.

3. A supporting structure in accordance with claim 1, comprising a wedgecompressively disposed and secured between one of said horizontalmembers and said one side-jamb.

, 4. A supporting structure in accordance with claim 1, comprisingresilient vinyl seals engaging said side-jambs, said vinyl sealscompressively disposed between said sidejambs and said side-walls,whereby said side-jambs and said contacted side walls are in water-tightcontact.

5. A supporting structure in accordance with claim 1 for an enclosurefor a showering area having a sill portion comprising resilient vinylseals engaging one of said horizontal members, said engaged horizontalmember disposed on said sill portion, said vinyl seals compressivelydisposed between said horizontal member and said sill portion, wherebysaid horizontal member and said sill portion are in water-tight contact.

6. A supporting structure in accordance with claim 1, wherein each ofsaid side-jambs has an upper portion and a lower portion, one of saidhorizontal members being engaged by said upper portions of saidside-jambs, another of said horizontal members being engaged by saidlower portions of said side-jambs.

7. A supporting structure in accordance with claim 6, wherein thehorizontal member disposed between said upper portions of said'side-jambs comprises a trackway.

8. A supporting structure in accordance with claim 6, wherein thehorizontal member engaged between said upper portions of said side-jambshas one notched end portion, said notched portion comprising two planarportions normal to the longitudinal axis of the horizontal member, and aplanar portion angular to said longitudinal axis and intermediate andcontiguous with said normal planar portions.

9. A supporting structure in accordance with claim 8, wherein the otherof the end portions of the last-mentioned horizontal member is notched,the last-mentioned notched end portion comprising a planar portionnormal to said longitudinal axis, and a planar portion angular to saidlongitudinal axis and contiguous with the lastmentioned normal planarportion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSKessler July 7, 1959

